The present invention relates to conveying operation equipment in which a traveling path of conveying carriages that are coupled to each other so as to travel and a reciprocating movement path of an operation device for workpieces on the conveying carriages are arranged in parallel to each other, and in which a synchronous forward-traveling means that makes the operation device travel synchronously with the conveying carriage to be operated from a beginning end position to a terminal end position of the reciprocating movement path and a high speed retreat-traveling means that makes the operation device travel to retreat at a high speed from the terminal end position to the beginning end position of the reciprocating movement path are provided.
The conveying operation equipment as described above has been known as equipment in which, for example, an operation of mounting a part to a workpiece loaded on a workpiece support portion on each conveying carriage is performed by an operator who gets on the conveying carriage while the conveying carriage is traveling on the traveling path. In the conveying operation equipment described above, when an empty conveying carriage passes a workpiece loading position on the traveling path, an operation-ready workpiece is transferred onto the workpiece support portion of the empty conveying carriage, and when the conveying carriage after the completion of the operation on the workpiece passes a workpiece unloading position set in front of the workpiece loading position, the operation-completed workpiece is unloaded. In the conveying operation equipment described above, a workpiece transferring operation device is needed which travels in a certain section synchronously with the conveying carriage in order to load and unload the workpiece on and from the conveying carriage. In some cases, an operation device is also needed which travels in a certain section synchronously with the traveling conveying carriage in order to provide a part and an automatic tool to the operator on the conveying carriage.
In this type of conventional conveying operation equipment, although patent literature cannot be indicated, the following configuration has been known in which a reciprocating movement path of the operation device is provided beside the traveling path of the conveying carriage, a transmission means is provided which freely engages/disengages with and from a lateral side portion at which the operation device and the conveying carriage are adjacent to each other, a transmission member of the conveying carriage which is to pass by the operation device is made to engage with a passive portion of the operation device which is on standby at a beginning end position of the reciprocating movement path and thus the operation device is pushed from the rear by the conveying carriage so as to travel synchronously.